The use of humour in socially responsible advertisements : case study of the Rainforest Alliance

Consumers are overwhelmed with communications from companies and NGOs trying to increase their brand awareness and push the consumers to action. But, since consumers are continuously in contact with brands through advertising, they cannot be attentive to each one of them. Humour is a frequently used method by marketers to attract the attention of the consumers and to enact positive reactions. In this thesis, we have analysed whether NGOs, and more specifically the Rainforest Alliance, should use humour in its socially responsible advertisements and what the effects of it are. We circulated a questionnaire showing randomly a humorous or a non-humorous CSR advertisement from the Rainforest Alliance and gathered 115 valid responses in total. Our study revealed that the humorous CSR advertisement led to a better attitude towards the ad and a higher purchase intention of certified products from the Rainforest Alliance. Moreover, a credible ad enhances the attitude towards the ad and the brand even more and increases the intention to purchase products from the NGO. People who are less sceptical about advertisements have a better attitude towards the ad and the brand as well as a higher intention to purchase the products. Furthermore, a person highly interested in sustainability will have a less positive attitude towards the humorous ad compared to a person that is not interested in the matter. All in all, NGOs should use humour in CSR advertisements since it has a lot of beneficial effects and it draws the attention of the consumers. Humour will also enable the NGO to reach a broader public and increase its brand awareness.Master [120] en sciences de gestion, Université catholique de Louvain, 201